A review by rara2018
Within the Fairy Castle: Colleen Moore's Doll House at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago by Terry Ann R. Neff

5.0

Main takeaway from this adult version of a picture book is that literally everyone who met Colleen Moore was in love with her. She had strangers donating their valuables and friends wholly enamored when writing their dedications. ALSO just the sheer amount of societal clout present in this dollhouse. There are famous people who made their mark in this ranging from FDR to Queen Elizabeth II to Picasso and Arthur Conan Doyle. Also Walt Disney, Nixon, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Agatha Christie, etc. I could go on for weeks and weeks. The doll house itself is beautiful, and I definitely came away with a newfound appreciation for the craftsmanship the various artisans put into the creation. When Josie and I saw it last weekend, we both thought the narrator was being silly when they were describing what was in it, but after reading this and realizing that it was being fully serious and that there lowkey might be a splinter of the true cross in there, I want to go back to fully appreciate it. Also, the author of this book was kind of an icon with the racism call-out and anecdote from Lord Halifax adding degrees of historical realism to an otherwise fanciful exploration of the house.